


State Dinner, Epilogue 2, Just Desserts

by Toshua



Category: NCIS, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen, Team Dyamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 15:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12390699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toshua/pseuds/Toshua
Summary: The fallout of the White House State Dinner continues.  There are consequences for actions taken.





	State Dinner, Epilogue 2, Just Desserts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hellsbell](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=hellsbell).



The bench in front of the coffee shop was empty when Gibbs and DiNozzo approached, fresh coffee in hand. Both men sat, drinking their coffee in silence. Around them morning traffic filled the corner as DC started a new week.

Gibbs finally broke the silence, giving up on DiNozzo to talk without goading. There had been a day when Gibbs’ silent treatment always made Tony start talking about something, anything. Those days were long gone, along with the easy friendship they once shared.

“How serious is your relationship with O’Neill?”

“Don’t know. We’ve only had three dates.”

“The White House is a pretty special place to take a date.” Gibbs voice contained a trace of humor and when Tony looked at him he was smiling.

Tony shrugged.

“I met O’Neill briefly during Desert Storm. He was leading a black ops mission into Iraq. They needed a sniper so I got sent to watch their backs while they did some highly technical and illegal sabotage. They were in and out in just a few hours. I think he was a Major then.” Gibbs almost smiled. “He told me ‘good job Gunny’ and that was the last I heard from him. He and his team climbed into a blacked out C130 and flew away.”

“I don’t know much about his past. We haven’t gotten that far.” Tony sipped his drink.

“What are you going to tell the rest of the team?”

“My business, Boss.”

“You know that they’re not going to leave it at that.”

Tony shrugged again. “Too bad.”

“You know I’ve learned in the last few years it’s okay to allow people to be a little closer. You don’t always have to keep secrets to yourself.”

“You lived Rule #4 all your life, Gibbs. Seems like a good rule to keep.”

“I’m just saying sometimes you have to let somebody share the burden.”

Tony almost glared. Gibbs was the most secretive man he knew. To hear him even consider suggesting Tony confide in anyone, especially Gibbs, was startling. The other thought that flickered through his mind was particularly the secret he had now, one worth shouting to the world. But he would never, ever betray Jack’s trust. 

Time to finish this bonding session or whatever it was. Tony tossed his half finished coffee into the trash and stood up. He straightened his jacket and looked at Gibbs.

“I’m going for a refill.” Gibbs didn’t move.

Tony just nodded and strolled away. His short walk to NCIS gave him time to mentally prepare for the onslaught he was certainly going to encounter as soon as the elevator door opened. So he took the stairs.

Tony decided that a visit to Ducky and Palmer would be more advantageous then going right to the bullpen. He was certain Abby would have already expressed her opinion and ideas to the ME. If nothing else it gave him a few more minutes to think about how he was going to answer the questions that were sure to be asked.

Dr. Mallard looked up from his desk as the door slid open and Tony entered. Ducky quickly saw that Tony was wearing his most unapproachable face which always reflected a mood that wasn’t very healthy.

“Anthony, good morning.” Dr. Mallard rose to his feet, ready to provide whatever support the other man needed.

“Ducky. Good morning.”

The older man smiled at Tony as he walked across his immaculate morgue. “Would you like tea? I have a pot of Earl Grey brewing.”

“No thanks, Ducky. I’ve had enough caffeine to last all day. I was wondering –“

He was interrupted as Abby charged in, arms open for a hug.

“Tony! You’re so hot in that tuxedo! Why didn’t you tell me you were going to the White House?”

Tony disengaged the arms from his neck. He gently pushed her away. “Abby, calm down.”

“But you didn’t tell me! Who is General O’Neill? How long have you been seeing him? He’s really handsome, but he’s older than you.” She turned away, hands flying as her mouth kept running with questions.

Tony glanced at Ducky, nodded to him and slipped out of the door while Abby’s back was turned.

Abby turned around and stopped babbling. “Where did he go?”

Ducky nodded toward the door. “Now can you explain what you were talking about?”

“You mean you haven’t seen the papers?” Abby grabbed a stool, rolled it up to Ducky’s desk and reached for his keyboard.

Tony continued up the stairwell privately glad that Abby’s attention was elsewhere. One less confrontation for the time being. He paused at the entrance to the bullpen and scanned the open cubicles. McGee’s and Ziva’s desks were empty. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding as he settled behind his desk. Maybe his day was not going to be the disaster he assumed it was going to be.

Within minutes the two agents rounded the corner of the hall and spied Tony at his desk.

“You came back.” Ziva’s tone was icy surprise. “McGee figured you persuaded Gibbs to let you have the day to get your story straight.”

“Did not!” McGee exclaimed. He met Tony’s steely eyes. “Okay, I may have suggested that the press had gotten your work location and you might want to steer clear of the office for awhile.” Tim looked flustered between Tony’s stare and Ziva’s irritated huff and decided his chair and desk were the safest place to be.

Tony’s cell phone chirped. He quickly pulled it from his inside jacket pocket and glanced at the screen.

 ** _“Somebody is snooping.”_** The avatar for Jack O’Neill was in the corner; a double star placed over the outline of the USA. The next message came quickly. **_“Tell McGee he’s going to jail.”_**

Tony looked at the sentence then quickly typed _“On it.”_ He looked over at McGee. “McGee, I’m sure Director Vance told you not to hack into places you’re not authorized.”

McGee looked puzzled for a moment, then blushed. He stuttered an answer. “Director Vance told me he didn’t want a call from SecNav.”

“So after he told you that, what sort of search did you run?”

“Who says I ran a search for anything?”

“I do.” Vance’s voice came from above them. Everyone turned to look up at where Vance was leaning on the mezzanine rail. “McGee, I told you to stay away from O’Neill’s history. The Secretary of the Joint Chiefs just read me the riot act.” Vance started down the stairs, glaring at McGee. “There are some places you cannot hack into, Agent McGee. General O’Neill, the program that he is in charge of and his classification in the military is one of those.”

Tony’s phone chirped again. **_“Director Hammond enroute…with MPs.”_** Tony looked at Vance, then McGee. Even he was startled at the turn of events. He cleared his throat and handed Vance the phone.

Vance read the message, handed the phone back to Tony. “Agent McGee, I suggest you call your lawyer.”

“But—“ Tim stood at his desk as Vance climbed the stairs and returned to his office to await Director Hammond’s arrival.

Tony was hesitant on his next actions. Does he warn McGee that he’d stuck his nose into a hornet’s nest and there would be no forgiveness? Does he text Gibbs a heads up on who was going to land in NCIS in a few minutes? Did he just sit at his desk and watch the fireworks? He hated being undecided.

Gibbs walked into the bullpen and paused. The tension was so thick he could cut it with a knife. McGee and David were gathered together facing DiNozzo’s desk. DiNozzo was standing behind his desk, his phone in his hand, which was chirping loudly.

“Want to explain what is going on?” He looked at DiNozzo, eyebrows raised.

Ziva turned to Gibbs, mouth opened to explain when motion behind her stopped her. The elevator doors slid open and two uniformed MPs stepped out, followed by Director George Hammond. The attention of everyone in the bullpen was diverted to the new arrivals.

Director Hammond went straight to Gibbs. “Gunny, we have a situation.” He glanced at McGee who was turning paler by the second.

“General Hammond.” Gibbs acknowledged the greeting. “How can NCIS be of service?”

“I think we need to take this to Director Vance’s office.”

“Of course. This way.” He sat his coffee cup on his desk and led the larger man up the stairs to the director’s office. With a subtle hand gesture Hammond ordered his MPs to stay behind and remain alert.

DiNozzo glanced at his phone as he lowered himself into his chair. Multiple texts from O’Neill covered the screen, ending with **_‘CALL ME!!!!!!.’_** Tony tapped his phone quickly, sending a brief message _‘MPs arrived. GH with DV.’_ He placed his phone on his desk, turned toward his team mates. He started to say something to the MPs and thought better of it. It was obvious they were on guard duty and were not to be disturbed. He looked at McGee’s ashen face and decided to send a quick email. 

Tim looked down at his screen when the ding signaling new email sounded. Tony’s message was quick and to the point. ‘Contact your lawyer, now, quietly. Put him on retainer. Don’t answer any questions.’ He glanced at Tony and picked up his phone.

Tony looked at Ziva who was watching everyone with narrowed eyes. Her training and background didn’t let her relax in the presence of armed military when she didn’t know which side she should be on. She had lots of questions with no answers. Tony wanted to smirk at her, knowing her frustration level was growing by the moment. The best thing he could do was … nothing. He turned to his computer and pulled up a cold case to keep him focused on something besides what was happening in the office on the upper floor.

Hammond was shown into Vance’s office, followed by Gibbs. Vance was standing in front of his desk, hands behind his back as the two men entered. Hammond locked eyes with the Director of NCIS and was not impressed. He’d faced more imposing men, not even thinking about the aliens that he’d seen and led his people against. The only reason he was here was because the future of the Stargate and the world was in a delicate balance. He had to convince this man that one of his men jeopardized that balance, intentional or not. He’d reviewed McGee’s record and decided for all his intelligence he was easily led into situations that were not wise. Further he had the skills to be a large force for good but his own ego got in the way of seeing the big picture on so many levels. That ego was the problem now. 

“Director Hammond.”

“Director Vance.” 

Greetings were exchanged along with handshakes and a broad gesture to encourage everyone to take a seat around the small conference room table. Gibbs ignored the suggestion, finding a location in the far corner where he could watch both men. He shot a fierce glance at Vance, hoping for more information from his boss and not receiving any answers in Vance’s body language. Vance took a deep breath to take charge of the importune meeting but was stopped by Hammond’s raised hand. 

“Director Vance. I was informed this morning that one of your agents attempted to penetrate one of the Homeland Security’s most sensitive and encrypted sites. Fortunately our firewalls blocked the attempt, followed by several other attempts, each using more sophisticated hacking techniques. I was gratified to know the attempt came from a citizen, at the same time appalled that a fellow federal agency was the instigator. I need an explanation and a plan of action for disciplinary action for your agent. Otherwise he will be leaving in handcuffs, along with anyone else who may have been involved.”

Gibbs stared at Vance, immediately putting the clues together. McGee’s curiosity over DiNozzon’s weekend activities had gotten the better of him. Vance must have known about some of the hack attempts since he was absolutely still, not even reaching for a toothpick to chew on to give him time to think.

“Director Hammond. I informed Agent McGee that his attempts to discover more information about General O’Neill were not wise or sanctioned. I had assumed that he stopped his efforts. Evidently I was wrong.” Vance glanced at Gibbs. “Our agents are trained to follow leads in obscure directions in solving crimes.”

“There weren’t any crimes or investigations here, Director Vance. These hacks were attempts to penetrate some of the most secure sites the government has. Your agent doesn’t know the meaning of classified. This was clearly an act that was not thought out. Are all of your agents so willing to ignore orders?” Hammond’s voice was stern but controlled.

Vance glanced at Gibbs again. He knew Gibbs often circumvented rules to get convictions. He’d actually helped, telling McGee to hack sites in search of information, even going so far as offering him a ‘get out of jail free’ card for his searches. They always justified their acts when they caught the bad guy and closed a case.

“General.” Gibbs spoke up, finally taking a seat at the table. “Agent McGee’s computer skills are a huge asset to NCIS when it comes to solving crimes. His enthusiasm for following leads across the web can get him into places someone like myself would never even think of.” Gibbs looked at the General in complete sincerity, trying to emphasis his point. “That same enthusiasm can be hard to contain.”

Hammond didn’t back down. He’d worked with people all his life willing to violate the orders for results. Those same people caused as many problems as they solved. “Gunny, as a Marine, you understand the chain of command better than most, better than Director Vance, I’m sure. Your agent, and it looks like your agency, has a serious problem.” He looked at Vance again. “I’m still waiting for a logical solution to your agent’s unauthorized hacking attempts. At this moment I’m leaning toward telling the Secretary General that this agency needs a serious review on the importance of following regulations and classified material protocol.”

Vance’s eyes narrowed. “I would prefer to handle this in house, Director Hammond. Perhaps a month off without pay would be a proper incentive? Additional training on classified material and sites protocol, a reduction in agent status to probationary agent for a year?” Vance was looking straight at Gibbs, thinking Gibbs disciplinary actions would be tougher than anything he could think of on the spur of the moment.

Director Hammond looked down at his tablet for a second, obviously reading a note on the screen he held in his hand. “Insufficient. According to my information it’s not just Agent McGee who has problems with protocols regarding classified information. Your forensics officer has also been noted to be ‘over enthusiastic’ in her searches for information.” He stared at Gibbs for a long moment. “You also have a Mossad agent on your team. I don’t understand the reasons behind that decision. Allowing a foreign national into such a security ridden environment cannot be a good thing.”

“Agent David recently received her citizenship, Director Hammond. She has proven her loyalty to this country and to this agency.” Vance spoke up. “Her position as liaison with Israel has proven useful in several cases regarding international terrorism.”

“That may be the case, Director Vance. However, I would feel better, and I think the Secretary General would agree, that members of the MCRT complete an intense course on classified material protocol and Internet usage. I would restrict Agent David’s access to non-secure sites only.”

“And Agent McGee?” Gibbs asked the question before Vance could.

“The original proposal is acceptable. However, I think something a little more visual is needed. I am ordering my security escort to remove Agent McGee, in handcuffs, from this facility. He will spend three days in a military detainment facility on the Navy yard. After that, your disciplinary actions will be instituted. I expect a report of this conversation and these decisions to be forwarded to the Secretary General today.” Hammond rose, followed by Vance and Gibbs. 

Vance finally nodded. “Agreed.” He offered his hand to Director Hammond, who took it with a firm shake. “Agent Gibbs, if you will inform Agent McGee of his detention I will start working on the other items.” 

Gibbs nodded, waved Director Hammond out the door in front of him. Outside the office Gibbs looked down onto his team, who were gathered around McGee’s desk. Even Abby had joined them, her eyes on Gibbs. Gibbs turned to Hammond, voicing his thoughts carefully.

“General Hammond. MCRT does a lot of good work for the military and sometimes we dive into grey areas in solving our cases. None of my staff are a threat to the security of this country, regardless of how we do our jobs.”

“Gunny, I have heard that argument more times than I can count. But at the end of the day, we all have rules we have to follow. I think there is enough flexibility in those rules that we can do our jobs without breaking them. It may slow the process down but this country is a county of laws, not men. I don’t have to lecture you on that, Gunny. But maybe you need to be reminded.” He stuck out his hand. “We all have to be reminded from time to time, when the heat of the moment over rules the laws we have sworn to uphold.”

Gibbs shook the offered hand. “I hear you, General.” He trotted down the stairs and nodded to the MPs, still standing at ease. He went to McGee’s desk and stared at the younger man sitting behind it. “McGee, you will go with these soldiers, without complaint. I’ll bring your lawyer. You are not technically under arrest, no charges are being levied.”

McGee looked hard at his boss, then started shutting down his computer. Finished, he didn’t argue about the handcuffs being secured on his wrists behind his back. He glared at DiNozzo who was standing silently with everyone else. Hammond led the small group into the elevator, surrounded by complete silence.

When the elevator doors closed, Gibbs faced his people who were staring at him with various looks of disbelief. Abby broke the silence.

“You’re just letting them take McGee? Without a word? Without a fight? What is this, Gibbs? How could you?”

“Abby –“

“Ms. Sciuto.” Vance’s voice from the stairs stopped her rant cold. “If all of you will join me in my office I’ll brief you on what just happened. Agent Gibbs, you are free to leave.”

Gibbs locked eyes with DiNozzo, silently imploring him to stay silent and roll with whatever Vance said. Unfortunately, nothing mentally passed between the two men and Gibbs could only leave the room to intercept McGee’s lawyer.

David, Sciuto and DiNozzo trudged into Vance’s office and Vance closed the door. DiNozzo took the chair the furthest from Vance’s position at the head of the table and leaned back in the seat, feet crossed at his ankles. He raised an eyebrow at Vance, daring him to make an issue of his body language. 

Vance glared and took a toothpick from his holder on the desk. He stuck it in his mouth and chewed on it a moment before saying anything, organizing his thoughts and feelings until he felt more in control over the situation.

“Agent McGee has been detained for three days following his attempts to hack into Homeland Security’s private personnel files. Once his detention is completed he will be on administrative leave, without pay for one month. There will be more to follow on other disciplinary actions as this case is processed.”

Abby’s eyes flew around the room, landing on Tony’s green eyes. She stared long and hard at the other agent before turning her attention back to Vance. The glare didn’t lessen any as she stared at the Director.

Vance continued with his statements. “Agent David, you will attend a series of classes on how to handle classified materials, and be restricted to non-secure sites until further notice. Ms. Sciuto, you will also be attending classes on classified material protocol.” He glared at both women as his toothpick changed sides in his mouth. “This is not subject to discussion or compromise. The upper echelons within this administration are concerned with how NCIS likes to play fast and loose with the rules and these decisions weren’t made lightly. Failure to comply will result in NCIS being investigated and monitored. I know you know that the last thing any of us want is to have someone looking over our shoulders while we do our investigations.”

David looked between Tony and Vance. Tony was completely closed off with no expression on his face and arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair. Her irritation with DiNozzo grew a few degrees as Vance outlined actions being taken with everybody else. Surely DiNozzo would be included in the classes she and Abby had to attend. If the MCRT team was being disciplined that should include everyone on the team, right?

“Is Agent DiNozzo also included in these disciplinary classes?” Ziva’s eyes were on Tony as she asked Vance the question.

“No, Agent David.”

“But – “ Abby started and was stared down by Vance.

“Agent DiNozzo has no part in these actions.” Vance nodded to DiNozzo, who nodded back and left the room, closing the door behind him. He could almost hear Abby starting to draw a deep breath before making her opinion known.

He trotted down the stairs to his desk, dropping into his chair with a huge sigh. Things were going to get a lot hotter in the next several weeks regarding the MCRT. Gibbs was going to be faced with a lot of scrutiny on how the team should be managed. The big question for himself was what was he going to do about it? Stay and try to help revamp Gibbs team, or go and start over somewhere else? His cell phone vibrated.

**_“Well????”_ **

Tony looked at the multiple exclamation points and smiled. Jack must be going crazy not knowing.

_“Sending you a long email. Hang on.”_

**_“Home address.”_ **

_“Roger that.”_

Tony opened a new email window and started explaining to one very impatient Jack O’Neill. He ended with a question: how serious are you about moving full-time to DC? He sent the email on its way.

Five minutes later his cell phone vibrated. **_“Will call tonight. Stay safe. Watch your six.”_**

Tony immediately answered. _“Always.”_ He leaned back and looked at the ceiling. Amazing how life can change without any forewarning.

Toshua 2017

**Author's Note:**

> This is my last entry on this arc of stories. Sometime in the future there is a large story concerning the reveal of the Stargate but I don't know when it will happen, I only have a couple ideas. Thank you for hellbells for letting me play in her universe and to RedPink for the artwork. Both of you are awesome and I look forward to more collaborations.


End file.
